While I love a homemade minestrone, sometimes nothing beats the speed of vegan soups to buy for busy days. If you’re trying to eat plant-based, there are a few things to look out for when checking what soups are vegan.
Not all store-bought soups are vegan. Even seemingly innocent ones like tomato soup can contain milk powder or other animal products. That’s why it’s key to check the packaging to see if the soup is marked as suitable for vegans.
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If it isn’t explicitly labelled as suitable for vegans, the next step is to check the ingredient list for animal products.
But don’t fret, I’ve done the heavy lifting for you! I’ve looked at the soups from the big supermarkets to tell you which ones are vegan (and you have a lot of options!). So whatever taste you fancy, you can add a couple soups to your shopping cart and tadaa, easy Saturday lunch sorted!
(Note: this blog post contains affiliate links to products I genuinely like. If you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!)
Where to buy vegan soup
In supermarkets, vegan soups can often be found in different aisles:
- With other soups, in the canned foods section
- Near the fresh vegetables
- In the “free from” aisle, with the gluten-free, vegan, etc. alternatives
Not all the soups found there will be vegan though! So make sure you follow the guidelines below.
When shopping online, for example ordering groceries online, you can sometimes use filters to only show vegan-friendly soups. They’re not always accurate though, so it’s worth double-checking the product description!
But for the major food retailers, I’ve done the work for you! Go straight to what’s available in your local supermarket by clicking through the links below:
Is your local supermarket missing? Send me a DM and I’ll add it!
How to check if a soup is vegan
The first step when searching for vegan soup is to search the packaging (or the product description online) for an explicit “suitable for vegans” text. If it says “suitable for vegetarians”, it may be vegan, but it may also contain milk or egg.
The next step is to look for the Vegan Trademark. It looks like a sunflower with the word vegan under it and it means that the Vegan Society certifies that the product is vegan. You can follow this link to see what it looks like and for more info.
Depending on where you are, another symbol to look out for is the V-Label, with “VEGAN” written under it. See what it looks like here.
If you can’t find an explicit “suitable for vegans” mention or the Vegan Trademark, your next option is to scan the ingredients list for animal products. Helpfully in Europe, allergens such as milk and egg need to be bolded, so they’ll stand out easily. But other animal products could be lurking in there, so read through the ingredients list, and when in doubt: google it!
Vegan soups to buy at Tesco
The way I’ve labelled the soups is that the ones with a “green light” are the ones that are explicitly labelled as vegan. The ones with the “amber light” contain no obvious animal ingredients, but aren’t explicitly marketed as vegan.
Here’s a quick pro tip: mix the first two vegan canned soups on the list! We often mix two of the tomato ones with one of the lentil one, and that’s enough for two adults and two toddlers. Tell me if you try it!
Vegan soups to buy at Sainsbury’s
As mentioned above, the soups with a “green light” are the ones that are explicitly labelled as vegan. The ones with the “amber light” contain no obvious animal ingredients, but aren’t explicitly marketed as vegan.
Vegan soups to buy at Asda
Frequently asked questions
What soup brands are vegan?
Soupologie sell soups that are not only vegan, but also gluten and dairy free. Tideford Organics soups are vegan, and as the name suggests, organic! BOL‘s power soups are also vegan and are immune and energy boosting. Some supermarkets have “in-house” vegan brands with vegan soups, such as Tesco Plant Chef.
Are any Heinz soups vegan?
Heinz have several vegan soups: Heinz Plant Proteinz Moroccan Chickpea Soup, Heinz Plant Proteinz Mediterranean Tomato Soup and Heinz Plant Based Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup are explicitely marked as vegan. Heinz Classic Vegetable Soup, Heinz Chunky Vegetable Big Soup, Heinz Lentil Soup, Heinz Spring Vegetable Soup, Heinz Vegetable Soup, WW from Heinz Carrot & Lentil Soup and Heinz Vegetable Pot Soup don’t have animal products in the ingredient list, but aren’t explicitely marked as vegan.
Is Tesco vegetable soup vegan?
Tesco Vegetable Soup is suitable for vegans. It is prepared to a vegan recipe, which means there are no animal ingredients used in its preparation. However, it may be unsuitable for milk and egg allergy sufferers because these allergens are present in the environment where it is made.
If you want quick easy vegan soup recipes, you may like The only 2 hearty plant-based soups you need in your life!
This post was originally published in August 2022. It has been fully updated in November 2023.
